Rivals
by VeritableSpectre
Summary: Lee is depressed when Neji doesn't visit him in the hospital. Little does he know, Neji has been secretly visiting him all along. Main pairing is NejixLee with a side pairing of GaixKakashi.


**A/N: There are actually allusions to several pairings in this, but the only true pairings are Neji/Lee and Gai/Kakashi. So, if you have a major problem with either of those pairings, I would suggest not reading the story. Like I said though, several other pairings are alluded to, but with all of those, you can pretty much choose whether you want to see each pairing in a romantic light or not, since it's never explicitly stated that any are together. Also, I apologize for the liberal use of honorifics, and additionally, I am sorry if I used the wrong honorific in any case. I did research them, but wasn't able to really find adequate information, so most of my knowledge actually comes from a post on Yahoo Answers. So you can imagine, it may not be quite accurate. Anyway, yes, I know it's annoying that I use honorifics for everyone all the time, but since this is in Lee's point of view, I figured that that's how he would think, since he's so formal all the time. **

**Anyway … This takes place while Lee's in the hospital after getting beat up by Gaara during the Chuunin Exams. Also, I feel the need to mention that I'm absolutely obsessed with this pairing. They're pretty much my current favorite, actually. And that was completely irrelevant to the actual story, but I wanted to share. Okay, I'm totally rambling now, so I shall just end this here. Sorry about this ridiculously long note … Now onto the story (finally)!**

It hurt worse than anything he had ever encountered in the past. The crushing and splintering of his bones would haunt him for the rest of his life, he was sure. It hurt more than the time Tenten lost control of one of her more massive shuriken, and it struck him straight through his thigh. It hurt more than when Neji sparred with him while in a particularly foul mood, and thus took it out on him by stopping what seemed like all the chakra flow everywhere in his body with the first few hits. It hurt more than the time he had unknowingly awoken Gai-sensei while they were camping out during a mission, and Gai-sensei nearly squeezed his head right off of his body out of surprise in an attempt at self-defense.

It hurt more than … more than … Lee couldn't even think clearly enough to come up with more examples of things his newest injury hurt more than. It just hurt too much. His vision blurred as he flopped his head back onto the pillow, raven hair fanning out to stain the snow white sheets black. He closed his eyes with a sigh and faded once more into oblivion.

It was night when he next awoke. Gai-sensei was seated at his bedside, head nodding sharply as he dozed off. Kakashi-sensei was standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankles and arms over his chest. He seemed to be watching Gai-sensei, but when he saw Lee's eyes open, he gave Lee a nod in greeting, bringing up one finger to give Lee the "be quiet" sign when Lee made to speak. Motioning to Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei made it clear that he wished to let the man sleep. _Surely_, Lee thought to himself, _Gai-sensei has been up for many nights worrying about my condition. Kakashi-sensei cares about his rival, of course, just as Gai-sensei cares about him. Just as I care about Neji-san._

Lee pondered this awhile longer, before it became too difficult to keep his eyelids from falling. He allowed them to cover his intensely dark eyes, but not before Kakashi-sensei made his way over to Gai-sensei and woke him with a gentle shake to the shoulder. Lee's eyes closed completely then, just missing the sweet kiss Gai-sensei placed on Kakashi-sensei's lips in thanks for staying with him. The men left the hospital hand in hand, both with tears flowing down their cheeks.

Days later, Lee was sleeping once again when he received two more visitors. Sakura-san and Ino-san entered the room together, one with a flower, one without. Lee's eyes opened a tad as he sensed the girls, and he smiled inwardly as Sakura-san placed her flower in a vase on the dresser. Ino-san watched her quietly from the doorway, and though the girls fought on their way to Sasuke-san's room, Lee could tell it was the affectionate sort of fighting shown between rivals as great as his own Gai-sensei and Gai-sensei's lovely Kakashi-sensei (Gai-sensei's words, not Lee's).

It was just moments later when Lee welcomed his third visitor. Gaara of the Sand let himself into the room, sand gourd attached securely to his figure. Lee saw the murder in Gaara-san's eyes the moment he opened the door. The intent to kill was so obvious and so strong that Lee could do nothing but close his eyes to escape the glare. He knew that if no one came to interfere, he would die at the hands of that poor, misunderstood soul. If he could, Lee knew he would call Gaara-san his rival. But he also knew that Gaara-san already had a rival of his own.

Lee was lucky. Shikamaru-san and Naruto-kun happened to be walking past as Gaara-san was instructing his precious sand to cover Lee completely. Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-san decommissioned Gaara-san for the time being, but Lee was interested to note that it hadn't been Gaara-san's rival who came to stop him. Rather, it had been Naruto-kun, who, interestingly enough, shared Gaara-san's rival. _Sasuke-san has many enemies,_ Lee thought to himself. _But that also means that Sasuke-san has many friends._

Tenten was the fourth. It caught Lee by surprise, but Tenten stopped by in the company of Gaara-san's older siblings, Temari-san and Kankurou-san. He didn't want to open his eyes, but he felt that his dear companion Tenten deserved more respect than him pretending to be asleep to avoid talking to the Sand Ninja.

"We apologize on behalf of our brother, Gaara," Temari-san began.

"Yeah. We knew he'd probably go crazy, but we didn't think it'd be _that_ bad. Granted, we didn't think you'd fight back that heartily either," Kankurou-san admitted with a sheepish grin.

Lee simply nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Temari-san and Kankurou-san had apologized, but did it really matter when Gaara-san had entered his room just the other day and tried to finish the job he had begun during the Chuunin Exam? The three turned to leave soon after that, but Tenten had a parting message for her injured teammate.

"Take it easy, Lee. You'll heal, but the process won't go any faster if you sneak out of your room to train." As she left, Lee guessed that she had heard about the slight predicament that had occurred earlier in the week when Sakura-san had come to visit for a second time, only to find an empty bed upon arrival.

As the three visitors left, Lee thought to himself that none of them had a rival. He felt truly sorry for them.

No one else came. Of course, the visitors he had already had made multiple visits. Even Gaara-san came by and just stared, still murderously, at Lee's face and body, though he never did break out the sand again. This wasn't enough for Lee, though.

He didn't want to be selfish, but it hurt seeing everyone come by with their rivals. Lee's rival hadn't even visited once, and quite frankly, Lee was tired of waiting around. It was that very night that Lee climbed out of the hospital window (after first throwing down a pair of crutches, of course) and limped off toward the home of Hyuuga Neji.

It was nearly morning when Lee finally made it. He had greatly miscalculated the amount of time it would take to get there with such a nasty injury as his, and he could already hear the grunts and whumps of Neji beginning a day's worth of training.

As Lee entered the huge training field in the courtyard of the Hyuuga house, his steadily waning strength finally disappeared completely, resulting in him collapsing instantly to the dirt floor with a wail. Neji appeared then, like a knight in shining armor, long dark hair pulled back, Byakugan still activated from training, and hands placed menacingly on his hips.

"Lee. Why are you not in the hospital?" Lee couldn't speak. His eyes were drifting closed, but he knew he had to tell Neji something. He knew this would be his only chance. If he didn't say something now, Neji would get Gai-sensei to bring Lee back to the hospital, and Lee wouldn't see Neji again until after he had healed. _That's it!_ Lee exclaimed to himself. _That's what I needed to remember to tell him! That I want to—no, _need_ to—see him more!_

"Neji!" Lee shouted. Or, he tried to shout, anyway. It came out as more of a mumble than anything, and Neji didn't even notice he had said anything at all.

"Come on, Lee, you have to go back. I'll help you," Neji muttered, mostly to himself, as he gathered Lee up into his arms and began walking toward the hospital.

"Crutches?" Lee murmured in question.

" … Are you asking about the crutches?" Neji tried to clarify, as he still couldn't fully understand the injured boy's mumbles. Lee simply nodded in reply. "I can't carry you and the crutches at the same time. I'll bring you back and put you in your room, then I'll return here to fetch the crutches," Neji said.

This explanation was enough for Lee, and he relaxed in Neji's arms, allowing himself to sleep at last.

When he awoke again, he was laying in his hospital bed with his crutches leaned up against the wall. Neji had dropped him off, then come and left a second time with the crutches. Lee couldn't keep himself from crying when he realized that Neji was not going to be coming back again. His one chance to convince his rival to visit him, and he blew it.

However, Lee was Lee, and Lee never gave up on anything. Especially Neji. So when the nurses finally stopped watching him like hawks to prevent another escape, Lee climbed out the window in the dead of night for a second time. He was much more prepared this time though, and had planned everything out thoroughly. He would go to Gai-sensei's house first and ask to be carried to Neji's. Gai-sensei's house was just around the corner, after all, and Gai-sensei would understand the importance of seeing one's rival when injured or sad. It was practically necessary for proper healing to take place.

Unfortunately, one thing Lee did not plan for was the setback of Kakashi-sensei staying at Gai-sensei's house that night.

"Lee, not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you at my house?" Gai-sensei inquired after answering the door in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

"Could you carry me to Neji's house?" Lee asked. This was when Kakashi-sensei decided to make his presence known.

"No, he certainly cannot. But I will happily send Pakkun to fetch him, if you promise to stay downstairs here and wait for him without bothering us."

Lee quickly agreed to this plan, as he was truly too tired to argue it, and plopped down on the lumpy green couch in Gai-sensei's living room as he observed Kakashi-sensei summoning his nindog, Pakkun.

"There you go," Kakashi said after watching Pakkun run off down the street. "Neji will hopefully be here in a few minutes. When he arrives, have him escort you back to the hospital. Now, your sensei and I are going to bed. You're welcome to stay down here, but you are not allowed to bother us. Good night, Lee." Gai-sensei gave Lee a parting smile and thumbs up. Lee settled down to wait.

He hadn't even noticed that he'd slipped into a light slumber, when he jerked awake from a poke on the shoulder.

"Why do you keep leaving the hospital just to hunt me down?" Neji wondered aloud in that deep voice of his that always made Lee's eyes widen and saliva to become inexplicably absent from his mouth.

"You are my rival, Neji-san. And it seems that you will never come to visit me if I do not go to visit you first," Lee explained as best he could with that oddly dry mouth of his.

"Lee …" Neji began, before simply giving up and shaking his head. "I'm just going to bring you back to the hospital now. Hold on." Neji leaned down to pick Lee up, but Lee was going to have none of that.

"Neji, I'm strong enough to walk to the hospital on my own."

"No, Lee. I am going to carry you, because I want to be able to have a nice, long conversation with you when we arrive. And I know that if I let you walk, you'll be too tired to talk once we get back." Lee nodded wearily and offered up his arms to help Neji lift him.

The walk back to the hospital was short, but Lee couldn't help but to fall asleep in Neji's arms. They were just so warm and strong and _safe_ that Lee felt better than he had in ages. He felt like it was okay to sleep again when Neji was holding him. Lee blinked his eyes open when he felt himself being plopped on a cushioned surface. He frowned up at the Hyuuga boy, who was standing above him with a frown mirroring Lee's own.

"I thought you promised you wouldn't go back to sleep?" Neji scolded.

"Sorry," Lee yawned. "I can stay awake. What did you want to talk about?"

"Why do you keep running away from the hospital only to either come to my house, or go to someone else's house and ask that they get me?"

"I thought we already discussed this, Neji-san." Lee licked his lips nervously. "You are my rival. It is very important that rivals visit each other when one or the other is incapacitated. You have not been visiting me, so I had to go and visit you."

"Lee, I have been visiting you," Neji groaned in exasperation.

"But I have never seen you! Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei have come and visited together, and Gaara-san came once, but that was to kill me. But then he came again, and that was a lot nicer, even though he just glared at me the whole time. And Naruto-kun has stopped by a few times, and Sakura-san comes with Ino-san to give me flowers. And Tenten has visited with Kankurou-san and Temari-san to apologize for what Gaara-san did to me. Even Shikamaru-san visited with Naruto-kun once! He was even the one to save me from Gaara-san's sand! But you never came," Lee finished with a pout.

"Lee, I keep telling you, I _have_ been coming to see you!"

"But then—"

"Would you let me finish?" Neji interrupted angrily. Lee merely nodded meekly. "Thank you. As I was saying, I have been visiting you. I've just been coming during times when I knew you'd be asleep."

"But why would you not want to see me?"

"Lee, I _did_ want to see you. And I have been seeing you. Just because you're sleeping doesn't mean I can't come in here and look at you and make sure you're all right," Neji mumbled, eyes focused bashfully on the ground.

"But I never got to see you that way. What if I wanted to speak with you? Which I have, by the way," Lee grumbled.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me. You're always going on about how we're rivals and how your greatest ambition is to beat me in battle. I thought you hated me. Why would you want someone that you hated to visit you in the hospital? I wouldn't even have come while you were sleeping, but I couldn't stay away. I was so worried about you, and I still am. I'm sorry."

Lee was speechless. What had he ever done to make Neji believe that Lee didn't want his rival to visit him in the hospital?

"Please say something, Lee," Neji whispered, still refusing to make eye contact with the injured boy.

"Neji-kun …" Lee began. "Neji, please look at me." Lee believed that the lack of an honorific tacked onto Neji's name was what caused him to look up so quickly, but really, that was only a theory. There was no way Lee was going to inquire about the matter.

"Neji, I have never hated you. A rival, as Gai-sensei has always told me, is simply someone who you have feelings stronger than friendship for but you cannot express these feelings for many reasons."

" … What reasons are those?"

"Well, Gai-sensei says that Kakashi-sensei first became his rival because Gai-sensei was afraid Kakashi-sensei disliked him. When he found that Kakashi-sensei had similar feelings though, they remained rivals because they felt that the village would not look kindly upon two men convening in the way that a woman and a man should. So they stayed rivals."

"Like a woman and a man …" Suddenly, Neji's eyes got huge. "You knew about Gai-sensei's and Kakashi-sensei's relationship before tonight?"

"Yes … I'm fairly sure that most of the village is aware of the rivalry, Neji-kun. Did you not know?"

"Lee, you don't have to use an honorific with me, and of course I knew! Like you said, the majority of the village knows. But I always thought the hate of the rivalry came before the love that they share now, and they're just so used to being rivals that they didn't want to give it up when they became something more."

"No. The love always brings about the rivalry. It's why you never see two rivals of opposite genders, Neji-ku—I mean, Neji."

"Oh." Neji appeared to be thinking very hard about something, and Lee knew exactly when he had come to a conclusion, as his eyes widened dramatically. "Oh! I'm your rival."

"Yes," Lee responded, raising an eyebrow. He had been hoping for a bigger epiphany than that.

"But, Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are rivals, and they're having sex right down the street."

Lee's entire face burned red with that statement, and he looked away and covered his face in his hands. He couldn't stop himself from nodding briefly in agreement to Neji's words though.

"And you said Sakura and Ino came by together, so does that mean that they're rivals?" Lee nodded again. "And everyone knows that the only reason they fight so much is because Sakura likes Sasuke … So, by your logic, Ino is in love with Sakura?" Lee nodded again. "And Naruto and Sasuke? Wait, that one actually sort of makes sense."

Lee was close to tears with embarrassment now. He hadn't expected Neji to connect the dots so quickly, even though, looking back on it, Lee had made his intentions more than obvious with his explanation of the term "rivals."

"Look at me, Lee." Lee had expected Neji's voice to be harsh and judgmental, not the gentle tone that it did come out as. Lee slowly raised his eyes until he was staring into Neji's hypnotizing lavender gaze, when suddenly, his vision blacked out completely.

No, Lee hadn't fainted or even fallen asleep again, regardless of how truly exhausted he was after all the excitement of that night. Lee's brain had simply begun short-circuiting after Neji swooped in and pressed his lips to Lee's without so much as a warning. Luckily, Lee didn't need his brain to be working to return the kiss with fervor, and both boys had to pull apart relatively soon to catch their breath.

"I wish you'd explained the true meaning of rivalry to me a bit sooner, Lee. We could've been doing this—" Neji placed a quick, chaste kiss on Lee's rosy lips, "—a lot sooner than tonight." Lee's eyes filled immediately with manly tears, and he noticed with pride that Neji's had as well. Lee leaned up promptly to give Neji another mind-blowing kiss, but Neji pushed him back onto the bed.

"You're exhausted, Lee. I can tell by the way your eyes have been drooping for the past hour," Neji chuckled when Lee took on a look of outrage. "I promise, we'll have plenty of time for kissing in the morning, okay?"

Neji made to rise from his chair, but Lee grabbed hold of his pale hand, tugging him back down. "Stay with me, please. Just until I fall asleep?" he asked shyly.

A look of amusement plastered on his face, Neji sighed and shook his head, shoulders shaking from suppressed laughter. "Of course."

Rising from his chair and instead choosing to settle on the bed, seated near Lee's hip, Neji reached up and stroked Lee's thick, dark locks of hair. "Just lay still and get some rest. I won't leave until you've fallen asleep, and I'll come back the moment I wake up in the morning myself. I promise."

With this promise still repeating softly in his ears, Lee finally felt safe, comfortable, and happy enough to let his eyes fall closed at last.


End file.
